


You're The Reason (For The Teardrops on My Guitar)

by PrimadonnaSouLa



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Ciri is their daughter and she loves her parents dearly, Fluff, Gen, Geralt owns a horse ranch in a Texas-but-not-quite state, Jaskier becomes a famous folk country pop sensation after a viral song, M/M, Past Yennefer x Geralt but they are now best mates, Pre-Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Slow Burn, This may be set in USA but i do NOT know, Yennefer is a famous CEO of a cosmetics company, a lot of country music probably because ive been listening to dolly parton and trixie mattel, and after some chapters, but also Ciri is a HUGE Jaskier stan, but also some hozier and tswift as a treat, modern!AU, slight song fic, some hurt lots of comfort in the future, they will get together but first they must PINE
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:53:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22987414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrimadonnaSouLa/pseuds/PrimadonnaSouLa
Summary: Jaskier did not mean for the song to become a hit, really. He wrote and sang the song, and then posted it on Youtube not expecting anyone (except for those loyal 3k subscribers, really, thank you) to listen to a depressingly sad song filled with years of pining and regret because after all, the world is filled with those already, right?But then his song "Teardrops on My Guitar", written for the man with hair as white as snow, and heart as cold as ice, becomes a hit. Because something about it is different. Something about it is so raw, so powerful, so full of love. And this song reaches everywhere.And maybe someday, it will reach Geralt(This is an Ao3 version of my tumblr posts for those who may want to download them :) started out as a tumblr post now is becoming a full fic)(also have not even watched the show or anything I'm just a girl who has a lot of feelings so wooh pardon me for OOC)
Relationships: Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 12
Kudos: 118





	1. maybe someday he will hear

Ye but modern yt singer jaskier writing and posting teardrops on my guitar inspired by geralt after a modern version of -the breakup- not expecting his subscriber count to jump from 3k to 300k in two days thanks to it going viral and hes not expecting geralt to listen to it at all because geralts not the type to go on youtube and listen to sappy love songs

But then it gets played EVERYWHERE

In cars, buses, train stations, tv, he gets invited to shows, he signs to a label, releases an album filled with love and heartbreak, which is a fucking hit

And really jaskier is happy he is. his hard work is finally paying off but in every performance he just keeps hoping

Hoping that blue eyes will meet gold

Hoping that finally the song that has reached millions has reached the one that it was written for

Hoping that geralt finally listened to him, even just for a moment

But it never happens and it hurts and on stage he may not cry, no, he wont let his audience see that so he performs his album and is always met with a deafening round of applause

And as he goes backstage, to his dressing room, where his new manager leaves him alone to change his clothes so they can go to the next venue

He is left alone. No noise, no music, no lights, nothing but the guitar still in his hands, the one that he got from him during their first trip together. He thinks of coasts, of late night diner pies, of horseback riding, of hmms and subtle smiles

And he cries


	2. there are hundreds of threads on the net dedicated to this (they all want to know)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From 3 thousand subscribers to 3 million, Jaskier's fanbase grows. And more people listen. And more people learn. And they all want to know: who inspired the song?

People are starting to speculate.

The original “dandys”, the first 3k subs, the fanparents of YT channel _JDandelion,_ are more than happy to educate the now 4.7M subscribers (Jaskier cried when he saw the numbers rise to 3M after 3 months of promoting the album) of public info on Jas: his vlogs, songs, dead myspace acct (“how TF did they find that” “theyre fans jas, they just do”)

The dandys pour into Jaskier’s content, and of course, they continuously listen to Jaskier’s first album Sincerely and its 10 songs about love and heartbreak, first and last times, and while these songs may look to be just about the general experiences of life, fans can't help but feel like they're about something more -someone more.

so they listen and read and watch religiously, waiting for more content from Jaskier to find out who is Jaskier’s muse

so while teardrops on my guitar is Jaskier’s mainstream hit, the dandys’ favorite song from the album is 'Her Sweet Kiss' because it is just so rich with information and so, so raw and so, so heartwrenching and maybe it’s about a girl that broke his heart, who crushed him with a sweet kiss

The new dandys are so adamant that it has to be one of Jaskier’s ex gfs because who else could it be ??? But one dandy, oh bless their heart, post something on Tumblr that shook the fandom to the core. A compilation of grainy shots from Jaskier’s past bar gigs. Every video was unique in its own way, from the crowds to Jaskier's outfit. But two things were always constant in the videos.

Jaskier would always be smiling towards a corner in the room. And in that corner would always be a man of hulking figure. And the white hair was unmistakable in every video; Jaskier would always be smiling at the same white-haired man in every vid and while the man was always scowling, he would always stare back.

And an addition to the post blew everyone's mind: a video of Jaskier’s graduation gig. In it Jaskier still wore the same bright smile at first, and he would look at the brooding man all the same. And lo and behold, the man, gave the smallest hint of a smile back. And Jaskier. His smile grew- brightened- glowed. His smile could thaw snow as white as the brooding man’s hair and welcome spring. His smile was shining with ecstasy and love. And that video just debunked people’s theory of an ex gf. And now everyone is just asking, as they all stared at the man with the barest hint of a smile and hair as white as snow and snow as cold as his heart (for how could he rob Jaskier of his smile who gives birth to spring)

Who was he?


	3. that someday is today

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He heard. He listened. He cried.

_You’re the reason for those teardrops on my guitar—_

The faint music from the local cafe is cut off by a car door shutting, and with it every noise from the outside world is muted, leaving a long, stretching silence, even as the car engine is turned on and the GPS pings, setting its coordinates to the local middle school. It’s rare to find a car that is silent these days. Maybe they’re filled with loud music or chewing of food, or the bickering of family members or friends, or any other type of noise. Not just silence - plenty of stretching silence. But that’s how Geralt wanted it to be in his car and that's how it stayed, usually. Sometimes he would turn the radio on to listen to the local news, to hear about the traffic conditions and such. Sometimes there would be conversations between him and Yennefer, his ex-wife-now-best friend when he brings her to and fro her office branch when she visits. Sometimes Ciri would have a story about school that just cannot wait to be told so she just goes _dad, dad you won't believe what happened today_ (and no, it doesn't remind Geralt of anyone from his past, no, not at all). And sometimes, he will never admit it to anyone, not even himself, but when hes alone he would hum.

Hum pop songs, 80s rock, country songs, maybe mumble rap a little. Because while he may like silence the world is filled with lots of noise, lots of music and some of them latch on. And sometimes, on those rare occasions when he feels tired to the bone and achingly alone after a long day at the ranch, he would hum songs the public has never heard of. Unreleased versions. Private covers that are, in his memories, sprinkled with laughter. Drafts to hit songs that play on repeat on all the radio stations. Those covers he would always hold dear to his heart, and he saves them for the occasions when he lets himself dream and think of _what if_

_what if_

_what if_

“DAD !”

“What?” Geralt is startled out of his deep thinking and he looks at his daughter who he went to pick up from school. His daughter just raises an eyebrow, out of exasperation with just the right tinge of “can we get a move on” (he doesn't know whether she got that from her mom or Geralt, but it works) and he drives his car out of the driveway of the school back home. There is a shine in Ciri’s eyes and he knows that it would be one of those car rides wherein Ciri would not be able to wait until they get home to tell her story over dinner so in the first intersection wherein they have to stop, he says his signature “hmm” to let Ciri know that he is listening (when it comes to Ciri he always tries to) and Ciri immediately begins to talk about her day.

Geralt _hmms_ and nods to show that he is still listening to his daughter’s story, silently cataloging everything that the girl is saying. And then she gets to talking about her lunch period, and she becomes extra enthusiastic. Geralt’s interest is piqued as Ciri’s talking speeds up, the way she would usually talk about her favorite things like vloggers and such. “And everybody’s talking about my favorite singer now, especially after the release of his album!”

“Hmm”

“So many people were singing or humming along to the radio, coz his songs are playing everywhere-”

A nod

“And I've been a dandy, that's the fandom name by the way, for a long time! After all, he's been through I'm just so proud of Jaskier-”

A large honk interrupts Ciri as the car dangerously swerves. Ciri gasps in shock and Geralt’s grip on the steering wheel tightens as his face matches the color of his hair. Really, Geralt doesn't know what his expression must look like, but after muttering a soft apology for spooking Ciri, Ciri remains silent on the ride home while gazing at her father with concern. When they get home Ciri mutters an apology despite not knowing what made her father react that way, and Geralt dismisses the apology, stating that she didn't do anything bad -he just remembered something, yeah, _that's all, I’ll call you for supper._ With a quick hug, Ciri goes to her room to do her homework and Geralt sets to cooking supper for both of them.

Much like car rides, Geralt prefers the kitchen to be silent as he sets about his tasks, cooking a usually therapeutic activity for him, and noises would usually be limited to when Ciri or Yennefer would help him out. Today, he looks at the old radio on the countertop, innocently gleaming under the lights, not at all aware of the storm it's causing inside Geralt, of the onslaught of regret and remorse that never really disappeared, just dimmed in the background. And they did say that emotions make a man act differently, act illogically, and while all signs would say that Geralt should save himself from the pain, from listening to his heart that is both aching to hear that voice and to forget it at the same time, Geralt still reaches out. The static as he adjusts the radio to a station sounds to his ears like

~~What if~~

~~What if~~

~~What if~~

And he gets to a station and “From a new rising star in the music industry, here is Jaskier’s song ’[The Well](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDvqIjd5nqw)’ from his album ‘Sincerely’”. And the song plays on and on and on, and it feels like an eternity and a moment to Geralt, whos clinging to the radio like its a lifeline, a vice he can't quit, and the radio croons

_Well I walk the line and I stood by my man_

_The ring of fire burned me in my hand_

_Beneath the neon moon I’m in the light_

_Tell me do I ever cross your mind_

_No you don’t throw wishes to the well_

_No you don’t go kissing if you tell_

_No I won’t come running at the ringing of the bell_

_No you don’t throw wishes to the well_

_No you don’t throw wishes to the well_

And the last note echoes in the kitchen and Geralt turns off the radio. Again, all is silent in the kitchen. He thinks of coasts, of whispered wishes, of camping nights, of distant church bells. And he allows himself a single tear. And another. And another. And he cries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is "The Well" by Trixie Mattel
> 
> Also I am so sorry for just editing on and on I am a chaotic bitch who posts and edits the chapter when it is already posted


	4. oh, will you never let me be?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaskier’s popularity continues to grow after Sincerely. A year after, he releases two things that affect the Rivia family in different ways: his new EP The Smell of Heartbreak, and his concert in Geralt’s home state. Ciri wants to go and Yenn is supportive. Geralt is torn (and pining, so hard)

A squeal erupts from upstairs and Geralt is startled from making dinner. He eyes the stairs in worry, debating on whether he should run up to check on his daughter or to stay put, unconsciously changing his hold of the knife to a more... secure one. The thundering of steps down the stairs, so unlike his daughter's usual calm descent, and he prepares himself for the worst. Ciri enters the kitchen, eyes filled with almost manic glee, as she frantically points at her phone's screen. Ciri's hands are slightly shaking so Geralt, still not letting go of the knife, uses his other hand to get the phone to see what the ruckus is all about. He almost drops his knife.

"He's coming here !!!" Ciri squeals, grabbing her phone back from her dad before sitting on a barstool and switching to her messaging app to talk to her friends. The words  **_Giving Penance: Jaskier 20XX State Tour_ ** still swims in Geralt's vision. In the list of the many states, his home state could be found near the bottom, boasting two nights of concerts for the promotion of his album  _ Sincerely  _ and his new EP  _ The Smell of Heartbreak _ . He doesn't know whether the singer had any say in planning the tour’s course, but a small, minuscule part of him can't help but hope that maybe Jaskier has not forgotten about him and still remembers where he lives. After a minute or two he continues on making dinner, the kitchen filled with his daughter's squeals as she raves on about her favorite artist.

\---

After washing up to prepare for his bedtime his phone rings, the strong tones of Beyonce reverberating in his otherwise silent bedroom. Geralt sighs in resignment before picking it up, already knowing who was calling him without even looking at the caller ID. "Yenn, I told you to stop changing my ringtone."

A velvety chuckle came from the other line, "oh, Geralt, you know I never listen to you. Besides, girls do run the world, and it will be a good thing for Ciri to know that her father is a feminist."

"Through a ringtone?" An exasperated and sarcastic question from Geralt.

"Through her father bowing to her mother." Came the quip from Yennefer.

"I know you know that's not what feminism is."

"I know. I just like annoying you." Yenn answers yet again with a chuckle. Geralt shakes his head in fond exasperation before going through their basic pleasantries: Yenn ribbing Geralt on his "alone-ness" and pressing him to take care of himself and Ciri and Geralt "caring-not-caring" about her wellbeing and cosmetics empire. When their catching up was done, Yenn hummed in that specific tone which ..no, definitely did not send shivers of warning down Geralt's spine, it's just that Yenn using that tone usually means he would be forced into a conversation that Yenn wanted and he would be extremely uncomfortable with. 

"I'm sending you money for the concert." She says without preamble and the shiver down Geralt's spine intensifies, leaving his fingers cool to the touch.

"Don't I have a say in this?" Geralt says after a few seconds of silence, after trying to get feeling back into his fingers, after trying to calm his heart from its thunderous beating. A sigh comes from the other side and he can faintly hear the rustling of papers on the other side, so Yenn was in the middle of work yet deemed this important enough to give him a call.

"Ciri messaged me after your dinner and asked me for permission. I told her yes already. Besides, it's been so long since the hike-"

"-don't. Please." Geralt cuts her off before she said something that would pierce his heart like a dull, rusty sword, a sword of regret, regret, regret. She hmms again, not one for apologizing but she still cares, and she does not want him hurt any more than he is, so this is the closest to an apology Geralt will get for the mention, but he is thankful for it.

"She should have asked me during dinner, then." He tells Yenn, wanting to move on from the stilted silence. Yenn chuckles at this, hearing the slightly petulant tone in his voice, and responds. "Well, she needed an ally against her stubborn father. She figured if I said yes you would be more inclined to allow her." Yenn was right because, despite Geralt's feelings in regards to the situation, he would do all that he can to make his daughter happy. But of all the singers, why did it have to be Jaskier that she -what was the term- stanned?

He feels a little light-headed and takes a seat on the bed, the phone searing hot in his hand. There it is, after so long, a chance of breathing the same air as him again, even just from afar. He doesn't know what to say, doesn’t know what to feel with the number of emotions warring in his being. He could feel the telltale prickling of tears in his eyes, the lump in his throat, at the thought of Jaskier. He would say that it is stupid of him to be so emotional over Yenn's statement, over the situation, after all, he won't be the one attending the concert, but every time he blinks a million memories of Jaskier come flooding in, the starkest of them all Jaskier's heart-aching sigh and his muttered: "see you around, Geralt". God, he wasn't even able to look at Jaskier one last time after the hike, Jaskier immediately going back to his family’s estate and Geralt being too prideful to go crawling to him for forgiveness, when  _ fuck _ , he should have. 

Another bout of silence filled the conversation, Yenn kind enough to give Geralt some time to mull the situation over. The ticking of the clock was the only sound echoing in the room and after many ticks, Geralt reached out to his bedside drawer to grab his calendar. He ‘hmmed’ to let Yenn know that he is back in the conversation, and Yenn hummed back to let him know that she is still there, still waiting and subtly supporting him. He flips through the pages and whispers, “when is the concert?”

\---

A few days later a squeal erupts from upstairs, followed by thunderous steps descending from the stairs. Geralt feels a sense of deja vu as he eyes his daughter who is once again entering the kitchen with a glow in her eyes as if she was blessed by all the gods. She, without a delay, rushes to hug her father. A little startled over the overly-enthusiastic display of attention, Geralt still quickly hugs back, very happy that he wasn’t holding a knife this time around. His daughter pulls away to show him her phone again, showcasing her mother’s message to her. In the message is a screenshot of the receipt of the concert tickets (“VIP both days, with me of course, nothing less for my beautiful daughter” Geralt recalls Yenn huffing while they were discussing the logistics of the concert). Geralt wonders how Yenn got the tickets already when the ticket selling was a few more days away, but then remembers this is Yenn he’s thinking about, and really, sometimes he thinks that with all Yenn could do she might as well be a sorceress with all the magic she’s performing for her daughter. He chooses to ignore the oddity of the early tickets and instead basks in Ciri’s delight over the tickets.

“Thank you, dad! Thank you thank you thank you!” She repeatedly thanks Geralt while hugging her phone and Geralt thinks that this is all worth it to see the smile on Ciri’s face. Geralt reaches over to Ciri to ruffle her hair and tells her that this is her prize for being such a stellar student. She grins back at him and starts to enthusiastically help him with dinner. He has a faint smile the whole time she is helping and during their dinner.

\---

He’s happy for his daughter, he really is, but after a phone call with Yenn discussing the hotel that he, Ciri, and Yenn will be staying in for the two-day concert a few cities away and while he’s ready for bed, he could still hear the faint crooning of Jaskier in Ciri’s room a few doors away and he can’t sleep with Jaskier’s voice ringing in his ears. He has tried to drown out the music with meditation, prolonged conversation with Yenn, and forcing himself to sleep, but he just could not stop hearing Jaskier’s voice, soft yet crisp and vivid in his memories that are swimming, swimming, filling his head. He doesn’t want to tell Ciri to lower the volume because it is just the normal volume, he just has good hearing, and Ciri deserves to revel in her happiness over the concert (really, Geralt knows deep down that these are just excuses, because it may hurt to hear Jaskier’s voice, but God he misses him).

Still, he needs sleep or else he’ll be grumpier in the morning leading to grumpy horses and workmates so he bolts up straight to his vinyl player (a gift from Yenn) and plays the vinyl already in it (left by Jaskier that he just can’t let go, because it’s a part of him that is left, a part of him that Geralt gets to keep) to help him fall asleep.

And ouch, he has not changed the vinyl in the player in a while (he plays pieces of vinyl left by Jaskier sometimes when he’s pining extra hard that day) and the song that plays is one that he introduced to Jaskier after a day of perusing the farmer’s market (Geralt’s errand), and vintage shop hopping (Jaskier’s hobby). And he does not believe in the universe dictating his every movement, but sometimes there is nothing else to blame but the lady universe being a bitch to him. Too tired to fight it though, he falls to his bed stomach down, face burrowed in his pillows, as Ella Fitzgerald’s voices out what he could not admit out loud, not even to himself, but he thinks about them every day. 

[ _ Oh will you never let me be _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJZOUXtDCn0)

_ Oh will you never set me free _

_ The ties that bound us _

_ Are still around us _

_ There’s no escape that I can see _

_ And still those little things remain _

_ That bring me happiness or pain _

Every note gave more clarity to that day when Jaskier learned about Geralt’s soft spot for jazz (he has his dad Vesimir to thank for that). He remembers how that day went, the first day when he met Jaskier. Jaskier, bright-eyed, lively, beautiful, Jaskier. It is going to hurt a fuck ton to be near Jaskier after so long, after all that happened in the hike, after all the mistakes he made, after how much he hurt Jaskier. But he longs to see Jaskier, so much so that the pain becomes background noise to how much he misses him. He falls asleep to the last refrain.

_ These foolish things _

_ Remind me of you _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)" by Ella Fitzgerald
> 
> more pining !!! more heartache !!! more feelings !!! this fic is getting longer and longer and welp hello hello slow burn tag  
> 1) Thank you so much for reading !!! Your comments are amazing and thank u for the kudos !!! You have fed my hungry soul :,)   
> 2) We love indulgent soft father Geralt and doting mother Yenn and their bickering best friendship in this household   
> 3) Maybe some fluff for the next chapter? Maybe we'll get to know how Geralt and Jaskier met? Hehehe wait and see

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for reading this "finished" fic (it will be fleshed out more and more and more hehe)
> 
> Leave me a comment (you don't want to keep a girl with fics in her pants waiting) or toss me some kudos 
> 
> Come talk to me about it on tumblr ! (exoploring.tumblr.com)
> 
> EDIT: officially removed the "complete" tag because I can't live in a lie; this is now becoming a full-blown fic


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